BEREA, OHIO – The Baldwin Wallace University baseball team fell to Ohio Athletic Conference rival Heidelberg University, 9-5, today (Wednesday, April 17, 2013) in an OAC doubleheader at Heritage Field. The second game is slated to start in 20 minutes.
The loss drops BW to 19-7 overall and 8-3 in the OAC. Heidelberg improves to 16-12 overall and 5-6 in the OAC.
The Yellow Jackets took advantage of a pair of Heidelberg mistakes in the bottom of the first inning and took a 1-0 lead. Junior third baseman Brad Gugliotta (Twinsburg) singled, advanced to second base on a ground out and to third on a passed ball, then scored when sophomore right fielder Alex Green (Pickerington/ North) reached base on an error.
BW loaded the bases in the third after senior CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American left fielder Brendan Toughey (East Amherst, N.Y./ St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) and Gugliotta drew consecutive walks and sophomore All-OAC first baseman Kyle Chontos (Pickerington/ North) was hit by a pitch. Toughey scored on a wild pitch and Green's sacrifice fly plated Gugliotta to up the Yellow Jacket advantage to 3-0.
Senior All-Mideast Region right-hander Pat Havens (Twinsburg) cruised through the first three innings, striking out four batters and facing the minimum nine, before allowing two runs in the fourth.
A two-out walk by Toughey in the BW fourth loaded the bases for Gugliotta, who drove in two runs with his second hit of the day, and the Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 5-2.
Heidelberg cut the gap to 5-4 with two runs in the fifth frame, then rallied for five runs in the seventh.
At the plate, Gugliotta went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs batted-in, and two runs scored. Green was 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Havens allowed seven runs (three earned) on seven hits over six-plus innings, struck out six batters and walked three, but suffered his first loss in four starts to fall to 7-2. Junior righty Dylan Fodor (Twinsburg) recorded two outs in the seventh and allowed two runs (none earned) on two hits. Freshman righty Tom Loeffler (Shaker Heights) retired the only batter he faced in the seventh.
Havens is one win shy of tying the school single-season record and is expected to make at least two more starts.
BW faces Ohio Northern University on Saturday, April 20 in an OAC doubleheader at 1 p.m. in Ada before hosting non-conference foe Hiram College on Wednesday, April 24 at 4 p.m.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
